Pokemon: I refuse to be a supporting character!

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Running was all about breathing, pacing, and endurance.

Li Xiang's role was to lead, not to coach. So once he settled into a steady speed, he didn't slow down for those who fell behind—he just kept moving forward.

A few people at the back stopped to help the stragglers, but those who couldn't even handle this pace would only drag the team down. They wouldn't catch up.

'Self-awareness is a virtue.'

Li Xiang wasn't obligated to carry them.

He also wasn't some miracle worker who could ensure everyone made it into the top hundred. If they could keep up, great. If not, they'd have to accept it.

'Kids these days really have terrible stamina… We haven't even reached the halfway point…'

He thought back to his own physical condition in his past life and realized he probably hadn't been much better.

Of course, his current fitness wasn't handed to him for free—it was the result of sweat and effort. Training in martial arts wasn't fun. It was grueling, even painful.

'If you want to shine in front of others, you have to suffer behind the scenes. No exceptions.'

The group pressed on, overtaking many students who had sprinted ahead at the start but now trudged along, exhausted.

'They really don't feel any urgency, do they?'

Li Xiang glanced at them before turning his gaze toward the Training Camp below.

From this height, he could see much more of the camp's layout. And now that he had a bird's-eye view, he realized the camp was far larger than he'd imagined.

The neatly arranged battlefields, the dormitories—plain on the outside but fully equipped inside—the spacious classrooms, and the Pokémon Paradise, which truly lived up to its name with all sorts of flashy facilities.

"We've already passed over eighty people," Song Jie suddenly remarked. "At this rate, the entire group could make the top hundred."

Li Xiang kept blowing his whistle loudly, unconcerned about disturbing the wild Pokémon in the mountains. No one had stopped him, after all.

He glanced back and saw that their original group of forty had dwindled to twenty-eight.

'Twelve couldn't keep up…'

Most of the dropouts were girls, but even those who remained were visibly exhausted, breathing heavily.

Li Xiang looked at Song Jie, wondering if he should slow down.

"No need," Song Jie said as if reading his mind, his breathing even. "They've adjusted to this pace. If you slow down now, they won't be able to pick it back up."

"Y-Yeah… I can still… handle it…"

Yang Tianwang, despite panting like a dog, managed to croak out his agreement in his raspy voice.

Xu Wan also nodded in support. She was one of only three girls still hanging on.

So, Li Xiang dismissed the idea of slowing down. But this decision also made it clear to those hoping for a free ride that they wouldn't get one.

"How are these people still going so strong after running this long?! Are they from the school track team?!"

Many of the stragglers were dumbfounded.

"Who even are these guys…?"

"I recognize the one leading. He's the vice class president from No. 1 Middle School. Can't remember his name, but he made a group chat this morning and carried four of his classmates into the top ten spot."

The kid speaking might have been out of breath from running, but his gossip game was still strong.

"Seriously? That's insane!"

"Man, I wish our vice class rep was anything like that…"

The speaker watched enviously as Li Xiang's group ran past.

Similar murmurs spread among the stragglers, all expressing envy toward those following Li Xiang.

Having a leader was crucial. Unfortunately, their own schools lacked someone like that—most were just looking out for themselves.

What these lamenting students failed to realize was that they could have stepped up too, but instead, they just waited helplessly for someone else to take charge.

....

The Northern Side of the Mountain

Beyond the slope lay overlapping mountain ranges. At the halfway point, Li Xiang could see a dark highway and a towering radio antenna.

As he jogged, he peered through the dense forest, catching glimpses of the wilderness battlefield he'd been curious about.

From above, it looked like a sunken basin—massive, stretching so far that even from this height, Li Xiang could only see a fraction of it.

The irregular edges were bordered by towering trees and thick shrubs, forming a natural barrier that made the place feel suffocatingly vast.

Following the terrain with his eyes, Li Xiang spotted a small hill inside the battlefield, along with a few simple structures.

But in the darkness, the buildings were hard to make out. He could barely tell they were abandoned, their exteriors a dull gray-black.

'What's this place for? Team battles?'

It wouldn't make sense to build something this big otherwise.

'Could it be related to the four classes of battlefields?'

Li Xiang pondered silently.

Beside him, Song Jie noticed his focus but didn't comment. His family had connections, but even they didn't know everything.

They kept climbing.

More and more students fell behind as Li Xiang's group surged forward.

For those still following him, this was a huge morale boost. Their exhaustion faded slightly, their minds clearing.

Why were they sticking with Li Xiang in the first place?

Because they believed he could get them into the top hundred!

And now, seeing person after person left in their dust, their determination flared back to life.

Those who remained were the ones with decent stamina to begin with.

Li Xiang mentally calculated the distance they'd covered and was surprised to realize they'd already run nearly three kilometers uphill, with only a couple hundred meters left.

The summit wasn't far—just a few more loops around the upper slope.

In his past life, this would've been impossible. Just hearing about it would've sounded like bragging.

"We're probably in the top seventy now, if I counted right," Song Jie said calmly, unsurprised.

A three-kilometer uphill run?

How many thirteen- or fourteen-year-olds could do that in one go without supervision?

Even if they were trainers, battles were fought by Pokémon—not them. Their job was just to dodge attacks.

With the boundless energy of youth, few bothered to train their own bodies.

And then there were phones—way too tempting. Schools didn't confiscate them, so outside of class and battles, everyone was glued to their screens.

No wonder these so-called "elites" from various schools had started strong but were now limping along.

Finishing three kilometers in one go without a leader?

The only kids who could do that were the top seventy, Li Xiang included.

The remaining 160 were still struggling behind, less than a third of the total.

Li Xiang kept blowing his whistle. He knew that stopping now would break the rhythm of those behind him.

Once they stopped, it'd take them ten minutes to recover enough to run again.

So he pressed on.

Luckily, the final stretch wasn't long, and with so many people ahead of them now walking, they quickly closed the gap.

When they finally reached the summit and saw the brightly lit camp, most of the group—despite Li Xiang's relentless whistle—immediately lost steam.

Their steps faltered.

...

The Summit Camp

The mountaintop was a simple, open platform lit by strings of lights. Several makeshift stalls, like those at a night market, were set up.

Staff handed out paper cups of lightly salted water to each arrival. After drinking, students received a small triangular red flag as proof they'd reached the summit.

A few armored officers stood nearby, along with an ambulance and medical staff—just in case.

Many students who'd arrived earlier were already resting. They glanced at Li Xiang's orderly group with mild surprise before shrugging it off.

After a short break, they'd head back down—no point waiting for stragglers.

Li Xiang downed his water in one gulp, thanked the staff, and then started hauling his slumped classmates to their feet.

"Don't sit after running! Up! Everyone up!"

He barked orders until the groaning students reluctantly stood on wobbly legs.

"Going downhill is easier, and the slope isn't steep, so don't worry about losing control. Rest for five minutes, then we move."

He scanned the group.

His own stamina was still strong, his legs only slightly sore. If he wanted, he could sprint down and finish early.

But if the top ten had no rewards, what was the point?

No need to push that hard.

Song Jie, breathing heavily, needed two cups of water to recover. Seeing Li Xiang looking completely unfazed—barely even sweating—he muttered, "Your stamina is simply ridiculous."

Who the hell gets this fit after just two years of martial arts?

"Nah, I'm actually the weakest in my whole dojo," Li Xiang waved it off. His seniors might seem lazy, but they were monsters in combat.

After all his training, he still couldn't last two minutes against Wang Dong or the others.

No wonder they kept mocking his "lack of talent."

"That just means your entire dojo is insane!" Song Jie couldn't help but retort. "How many people here can even compare to you?"

"I'm not a Pokémon or an athlete. Why does my stamina matter?"

Li Xiang didn't want to dwell on it. Compared to freaks like his Third Senior Sister, he was nothing.

'She might as well be part Gallade.'

The woman could spar with her Pokémon and hold her own—all while looking deceptively delicate, without a hint of bulky muscle.

'No way she doesn't have some psychic-fighting blood in her.'

Song Jie rolled his eyes.

As for the rest of the group?

Every last one of them—male or female—looked like they'd been dunked in water, drenched in sweat, limbs trembling, too exhausted to even lift their arms. Some refused water outright.

Li Xiang knew that without hydration, they'd never make it back. So he grabbed cups from the table and forced them to drink.

'Better than passing out halfway and making others carry them.'

Song Jie frowned but didn't help this time.

He had a slight germaphobe streak—he hated touching people drenched in sweat.